


Courage

by IceQueenofMitera, KieraHawke



Category: Stargate - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-03-20 15:57:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13721067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceQueenofMitera/pseuds/IceQueenofMitera, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraHawke/pseuds/KieraHawke
Summary: Can they rise to stop a war?Can they lead others along a path to peace?It will take faith, hope, love and...~~~Here we have a tale to tell. One not well known. At least, not for most of those upon Earth.Is this story fiction or reality, you ask? Well now, that depends on your own perception, for we were merely observers at the time. Though you could make the argument that we are the characters themselves. Otherwise, how would we know so much?But enough with the mind games, fun though they may be. There is a story which wishes to be told. One of adventure, friendship, destiny, hope, love, and...Oh, yes.Courage





	1. Authors' note

Some time ago, my dear friend and sister, Kiera, rekindled my love of the Stargate Universe and together we decided to give you the following work.

This is a massive project for us between full-time jobs and University, so bear with us as we give this labour of love to you.

That said, once we post Chapter One, we will give this story to you on a bi-weekly schedule.

 

We've worked hard on this and we don't expect a dozen kudos or a plethora of comments. We just hope you enjoy the journey of our ladies and their friends as they travel the stars. Keep in mind, we will be going off canon and delving a bit into alternate canon/alternate universe.

Also keep in mind, this is pure fanfiction and in no way, shape, or form are we profiting from this. This is for the pure enjoyment of you, the fans.

 

Enjoy!

Kiera and Ice Queen


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new member of the Stargate program seems to have a problem with Teal'c, so Jack decides to take her off base, which naturally backfires...
> 
> https://youtu.be/G2Y2uyBoR44 (Bar fight music for your listening pleasure)

 

 

Colonel Jack O’Neill drove out through the gate of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and headed on down the road. He was wearing civilian clothing: jeans, a t-shirt, and a ball cap. In the passenger’s seat of his truck sat a woman he’d only known for a couple of weeks. Nic Waters watched the bland scenery go by, her arms crossed. She was wearing an army green tank top, jeans, and boots, with her light brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Also, she was wound tighter than a spring, which was the reason they were having this small outing. Ever since the mission to Erebus where his team had picked her up after she and her people helped them free Teal’c’s son and mentor (and the slaves their uprising had freed escaped), she and Teal'c had been at each other’s throats. If one so much as breathed in the general direction of the other, it was enough to start an argument, although most of the hostility seemed to come from her general dislike and distrust of Jaffa, considering how Nic and her team had ended up in the same place to begin with on a mission of her own. Jack’s team knew there was bad blood between their collective races, as they had seen this first hand at the camp, but these two seemed to be taking that bad blood to heart. No one was sure how tonight’s argument started, but Nic looked like she was a breath away from killing Teal’c. So Major Samantha Carter suggested Jack take Nic to O’Malley’s, a local bar and grill.

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Nic suddenly said and Jack snorted.

“We talked about this,” he replied.

“Not my fault you’re thinking so loud.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I don’t care how loud I’m thinking, stay out of my head.”

“If I was in your head, you would know it.”

Jack decided to drop the subject of Nic’s mental abilities at that moment. They weren’t sure how far those abilities went, although she, thankfully, hadn’t done anything serious to Teal’c with them.

 

~~~

 

Jack pulled into the parking lot, and they stepped out of the truck.

“Why here?” Nic asked.

“To loosen up. You need to unwind.” Nic snorted. “Come on. We all know you need to have some time away from Stargate Command, and this will also give you a taste of how we live.”

“So what am I doing? How is it you Tau’ri put it?” she searched for the word. “Slumming?”

Jack chuckled. “Not exactly. Try a hamburger… unless you’re a vegetarian because you can turn into a cow.”

“You assume that I know what that is.”

“It’s an animal that we use for food. We use the females for milk. The bigger ones we butcher and —”

“Boh-hah.”

“What?”

“We call them boh-hah. The males are prized for their horns. The females give us milk until they are too old to do so. And it’s not a form I prefer. They’re slow and pretty dumb.”

“Good to know.” They reached the door of the bar. “By the way, keep the alien talk to a minimum. Not everyone knows about the Stargate program.”

Nic nodded as he opened the door and they walked in.

 

~~~

 

Nic tried the hamburger like Jack had suggested. It wasn't like anything she'd ever tasted. Jack couldn't help but start laughing as she started to steal his fries. She seemed to have taken a liking to potatoes. She's wasn't too keen on the beer she tried, but seemed to like the whiskey.

“Can you get drunk?” he asked.

Nic shrugged. “Not sure on Tau'ri beverages. They're weak compared to Anastase beverages.”

“Did you just call our booze weak?”

“Compared to what I'm used to, yes,” She gave a laugh. “I would be willing to wager that you wouldn't last one glass of our wine.”

“Manage to get some delivered and we'll see about that!”

Nic grinned, feeling more relaxed for the first time since coming to Earth. Her arrival here was purely accidental. She'd been cut off from the path back to her homeworld when the Stargate had been dialed to Earth before she could follow the rest of her people home, having stayed behind with the Tau’ri to give her people more time to escape. She'd had no choice but to go through the Stargate with the Tau’ri and their Jaffa allies, no matter how unhappy she was about sharing any amount of space with her people’s longtime enemy.

 _Don't touch me._ The female's thoughts broke through her own and Nic looked around. Most of the time, others’ thoughts would be a dull hum in the back of her mind, having learned years ago how to control what thoughts passed through her barrier. But this thought passed through strongly, as if the owner of the thought was willing it upon the person she was referring to.

 _Please go away._ Nic scanned the room, focusing on where the thoughts were coming from. Her eyes passed over a young woman with black hair, watching someone intently. Nic finally found where the thoughts were coming from. A woman was sitting at the bar, a man with no concept of personal space practically pressed against her. Nic knew most Tau’ri couldn't tell when she was reading their mind, so she dropped the barrier and gently pressed into his mind. He had only one thought on his mind and it involved the woman being in his bed, one way or another. The woman wanted nothing more than for him to go away and leave her alone, wishing she'd brought a friend. Nic frowned, remembering how different Tau’ri culture was to Anastase culture. She glanced back towards the woman that had been watching the two, to see her now gazing at Nic intently through silvery blue eyes. An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between the two to teach the man a lesson, and they both stood up.

“Whoa,” Jack said. “Where are you going?”

“Over here,” she replied simply as she started to walk towards the bar.

The woman with the black hair reached the man first. “I believe the lady said no. I suggest you back off.” She reached out and placed a hand on his left shoulder. He responded drunkenly to the contact, turning around with his arm flung out as if to slap his attacker. She grabbed the swinging arm, using it to spin the man away from the girl.

And right into Nic.

Nic caught him by the shoulders, before looking him over.

He shoved her hands off him. “Get yer hands off me,” he slurred.

“Usually when a woman says no, it means you should cease trying to convince her otherwise.”

“Mind your own business, bitch.”

Nic made a note to ask Jack later if this was an insult among the Tau’ri. But in the meantime, she only snorted. “You’ve pretty much made this the business of the whole bar. You’ve made it quite clear you do not value a lady’s personal space.”

“How about we teach him to value it?” asked the black-haired woman, one eyebrow raised and a mischievous glint in her eyes, which seemed to contain more silver than before in their crystal blue depths.

Nic smiled. “That seems like a lovely idea… and one he sorely needs.”

The woman gave a wolfish grin, her body relaxed but ready. “Question is, does he want to learn the easy way, or the hard way?”

“Come on, man!” another guy who had been watching shouted. “Teach these bitches a lesson!”

The man between the two women seemed to take his friend's advice and took a swing at Nic.

Nic dodged his attack expertly before grabbing his arm and throwing him to the floor. “I think he wants it the hard way,” she said.

The black-haired woman began appreciatively clapping, a grin spreading across her face. “Nicely done.”

“Thank you.” The offender had been slammed against the floor so hard that he was gasping for breath.

“Looks like it is my turn now,” said the black-haired woman, causing Nic to glance up and notice one of the friends of the man she had just taken out coming up behind her. In a quick movement, she ducked the punch the man had aimed at the back of her head, dropping to the floor and sweeping his legs out from under him with one of her own. The crack of the man's head slamming into the hardwood floor echoed through the bar. The woman stood back up, dusting her hands off on each other like she had just finished a well-done job.

“Well done,” Nic said with a smile, throwing her elbow back and cracking another of the man’s friends in the nose. He staggered back, holding his nose. Nic grabbed the back of his head and brought it down, applying her knee to his forehead. He fell backward, stumbling into a couple other guys before hitting a chair. One of the trio’s beers spilled, soaking the front of his friend’s shirt.

“What was that for?!”

“It was an accident, Bill,” the man with the spilled drink replied defensively. However, the guy whose white shirt was turning yellow where the beer was soaking in wasn’t interested in listening. He stood up, his chair flying backward into the table next to them, grabbing his friend by the shirt. The third man jumped up to separate the two, and Bill took a swing. The third guy dodged, bumping into a brown-haired man at the next table.

“Oi!” he said with an Australian accent. “Watch it, mate!” The Australian stood to move away when Bill took another swing at the third guy. He ducked and Bill clocked the Australian instead. He staggered, dropping his mug. He shook his head, letting out a string of curses before jumping towards Bill and cold cocking him. The other two backed away from the angry Australian and Nic sidestepped out of the way as his fists flew. One of the Australian’s fists accidentally slammed into the jaw of the black-haired woman, as the original target had ducked the blow. The man froze when he seemed to realize exactly who he had hit. His eyes widened. “Boss! I didn’t see you! Um…”

After a pause, the woman slowly straightened and turned towards him, the atmosphere around her darkening ominously.

The man cursed, “Aww, crikey.” Before he could react, she swung a left-hook that sent him falling back into the bar. He stayed propped up against it, rubbing his sore jaw.

“Next time, Joshua, be more careful of who you are swinging at.” The black-haired woman spun and roundhouse kicked a third friend of the original group, who had been trying to sneak up on her, upside the head. The force of the hit caused him to stumble sideways a few feet before collapsing on top of O’Neill’s table.

The Colonel raised a brow at the new arrival to his table. When the man moved as if to rise up and rejoin the fray, O’Neill said, “Ah, the hell with it,” and promptly smashed an empty glass bottle over the guy's head, knocking him out. “Have a nice nap,” he continued in a cheerful voice.

Nic laughed out loud before turning to the final man standing, who was looking back and forth between the two women as if trying to decide upon a plan of attack. She smiled at him and beckoned him to make his move. His thoughts betrayed to her that he was reconsidering the advice he’d shouted to his friend. The black-haired woman standing next to her let out a piercing whistle that resembled a wolf's howl. The next moment there was a deep snarl and the man was tackled from behind by a large black furred creature with blazing golden eyes.

“Good girl, Kiara.” The creature’s tail began to gently wag. However, whenever the man beneath the large dog tried to move, his feeble attempts were met with a low growl.

Nic chuckled. “Impressive animal,” she said. She could tell it was well trained and loyal to its master, whom she was assuming was the woman standing next to her.

“She's been by my side for many years and through multiple trials without ever faltering. Huh, Kiki?” The dog, Kiara, gave a bark in response to her human’s words and praise, sitting down atop the man she had knocked down. He grunted, knowing better than to try wrestling with the fierce animal upon him.

“She’s beautiful,” Nic turned to the woman. “I’m called Nic Waters, by the way.”

“Cora Lochlan, at your service,” Cora said with a nod of her head, causing some of her long black hair to pass over her shoulder to rest against her chest.

 

~~~

 

The owner of the bar had watched the entire fight and had done nothing. He’d been waiting for someone to give those troublemakers a taste of their own medicine. It had tickled him that it had been two women. He was also impressed that they’d kept the mess to a minimum, the only thing he was going to have to clean up being the broken glass from the bottle that O’Neill had broken. He was not impressed that others had been involved in the fight, including the young man currently propped against his bar who still hadn’t moved.

Jack, on the other hand, decided it was time for them to leave. “Uh, Nic,” he said, approaching the two women. “I think we've done enough damage for one night.”

“They'll live.”

“But they won't be back to this bar,” the owner added. All three turned to him. “I think you ladies taught them a lesson about not messing with the bull.”

“Oh, they messed with the bull, alright,” Jack muttered. Nic gave him a sideways glance, the terms going completely over her head. He turned to Cora. “That was pretty impressive. I’m impressed by that.”

“I've picked up a few things over the years.” Cora paused when her phone began ringing from the back pocket of her dark blue jeans. In one fluid movement, she pulled her phone out and answered the call, placing it against her right ear. “Yes? Cora Lochlan speaking.” Her brow furrowed in surprise and worry as she listened to the person on the other end of the call. “What?! How did---?! No, it's alright. I'm on my way. Have Nighthawk saddled for me.” Ending the call and putting her phone back in her pocket, she turned to Jack and Nic. “Excuse me, but I have an emergency back on my ranch.” Turning her gaze to Nic, she continued, “If you want to, come over to Open Sky Ranch sometime. Ask for Cora.” Glancing at the Australian man, Joshua, who was working his way to his feet, she said, “You wanna ride with me?”

“Probably. My head is still ringing,” he replied, still rubbing his jaw as he walked towards her.

“Let’s go then. Got work to do.” Giving a tight smile and a nod, she passed by Nic, who couldn’t help but notice that Cora had a few inches of height advantage over her. Then she left, making her way through the crowd and out the door, the sun causing her ebony hair to have a dark blue shimmer to it. Kiara hopped off the back of the man she had been sitting on and followed, Joshua trailing after them.

“Looks like you made friends tonight,” Jack commented.

Nic chuckled. “So it would seem,” she replied. The man that Kiara had pinned finally stood now that the dog was gone. He thought about going after Nic now that her backup was gone, but Nic turned and leveled a look at him that made him abandon that train of thought. She then heard the other trio start to bicker again, their thoughts centering around continuing their fight. Nic turned and leveled the same look at them. They instantly quieted and decided that they should just leave.

Jack walked over to the woman who had been the center of the original fight, now that the whole fight was over, and held his hand out. “How about I walk you to your car so you can head on home?” The woman nodded in agreement and Jack and Nic left the bar.

 

~~~

 

The ride back to Stargate Command wasn’t as tense as the ride to the bar had been.

“You were right,” Nic said.

“I’m not usually accused of being right,” Jack said.

“I needed this. This was fun. We should do this more often.”

“And let you get into a fight every time? If Hammond finds out about that show you put on back there, he’s going to kill me.”

“What show? I didn’t shift and I wasn’t forcing myself into their minds. I heard her thoughts about wanting that man to leave her alone and I might have read his mind to see that he doesn’t know the meaning of no and was going to assault her if she kept refusing.” The soldier at the gate waved Jack through. “In my culture, she would have been within her rights to either maim or kill him. I just stepped in because this is not my culture, and I saw he had no respect for other Tau’ri.”

“I’ll give you that one.” They headed inside the complex before taking the elevator down to level 11 and then switching to the lower elevator. Nic blocked out Jack’s thoughts as they had switched to wondering if General Hammond would find out about the bar fight and just what excuse he was going to use if confronted about the episode. As amusing as his inventive excuses were, Nic’s mind wandered to the woman she’d met, Cora. As they stepped off the elevator into level 25, where the Stargate teams had their quarters, she looked up at him.

“What do you know about Open Sky Ranch?” Nic asked.

A voice unfamiliar to Nic chimed in, “Open Sky Ranch? The one owned by Cora Lochlan?”

Nic turned to the owner and saw a woman maybe a few years older than her with blond hair pulled back into a messy bun. She looked like she’d just come from the gym. “You know of it and her?”

“I used to work there for her before I joined the Air Force.”

“Major, didn’t your mother ever teach you about butting into conversations you weren’t a part of?” O’Neill commented.

Nic ignored him. “You worked on the ranch?” she asked.

“Yes, I did. For a few years, I worked there and helped with the horses. Ms. Lochlan is an amazing horsewoman. Never before have I seen someone with the same talent as she has for working with horses. All those who work for her have their own homes on Open Sky Ranch. Many of them actually worked alongside her when she lived in Australia for two years, before she inherited the ranch. They chose to come with her when she moved back to Colorado.”

“She sounds like she has your respect,” Nic commented. “But I am unfamiliar with Australia. Where is that?”

“It's another country that you'll more than likely not see,” Jack said.

Nic rolled her eyes. “I doubt I can see a country.” She turned back to the major. “We just met Cora and were invited to visit her ranch. I was curious about it.”

The Major grinned. “Then be prepared to be amazed. Being invited to the ranch of the legendary Cora Lochlan is an honor many people would die for, especially to get invited by the woman herself.”

“She is well known then?”

“Her name is spoken in awe in both this country and many others.” Nic raised a brow, impressed. “Just be careful around her black brumby stallion, Nighthawk. He’s not a big fan of strangers.”

“I will remember that.”

Jack, seeing that Major Delia Argent had Nic’s attention and would hopefully keep her distracted from any thoughts of Teal'c, decided to take his leave. “I need to go talk to Carter about something. You ladies seem to be making friends so I'm going to stop being the third wheel now.”

Delia saluted. “Colonel.”

Jack returned it. “Major.” With that, he turned and walked away.

After the major dropped her hand from the salute, Nic looked back at her. “I’ve been told that the Tau’ri think it rude for me to go into your heads without permission, so may I ask your name, Major? I don't believe we've met prior.”

“Delia Argent. We actually fought together at Erebus. You helped both SG-1 and SG-3 hold off Ba’al’s Jaffa so we could get to the Stargate.”

“That was for my people’s benefit.” As they conversed, they headed to Delia’s quarters.

“Well, it was appreciated. I’m not sure we would have been able to escape or get those freed slaves to safety without your help.” Delia looked over at the newest alien to join Stargate Command as they walked into the major’s room. “Make yourself at home.” Nic moved over to and then sat down in one of the chairs in the room. “But I’m curious as to how Anastase ended up on a Jaffa penal planet.”

“Have you the time for a lengthy tale?”

“I’ve got all night.”


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SG-1 goes on a rescue mission to Erebus, unknowingly crossing paths with another group on their own rescue mission.

__

 

 

_Two Weeks Earlier_

 

Dimitri stood with several of the Anastase, preparing to leave. Each one wore leather armor and was equipped with a staff-like weapon, technology stolen from their ancient enemies, as well as a pair of daggers. He looked over the group of ten, hoping they were enough to retrieve their missing people. A few days earlier, a large group of Jaffa bearing the symbol of Ba’al on their foreheads had come through the Stargate and taken several Anastase. A scout had successfully followed them and was able to gather information about the planet they’d gone to, informing Nic and Dimitri that not only were the captive Anastase being forced to work a mining operation there, but so were a great many Jaffa. The Stargate was protected by some sort of forcefield, but Dimitri knew their teleporting abilities would allow the Anastase to bypass it. As the others prepared for the excursion, Dimitri turned to see the one person he was fully expecting to show up arrive, and he smiled. Nic, his closest childhood friend and one of the best warriors the Anastase had, approached the group. She wore the same leather armor as the others. The top was sleeveless, but covered the vital parts of her torso. She wore pants with a half skirt around her waist, the front stopping at her thighs with the back reaching just below the back of her knees. Her armor was entirely dyed dark brown. Like everyone else, she was armed with an at’latl and had two daggers strapped to her thighs.

“I was expecting you to show up,” Dimitri said when she stopped beside him.

“I would hope so, since I will not leave this to others to risk.”

“And I expect no less.”

Nic smiled at her old friend, who had risen in rank until he was just below the queen, chosen to be her second in command due to his impressive skills. “Is everyone ready?” she asked.

“Ready and willing to fight Ba’al himself to get their fellows back.”

“Hopefully it’ll not come to that.” Nic stepped forward, and the others turned to her. “Scouts tell me that there is a forcefield around the Stargate, and it’ll be guarded by five of Ba’al’s Jaffa. They will be unprepared for us, and we will use that surprise to our advantage. Our mission is to bring back our people, not to take out as many Jaffa as we can. Leave the Jaffa there alone. We get our people and leave, and Creator have mercy on any Jaffa who try to follow us.” Nic approached the Stargate, reaching out with her mental abilities to feel the path they were to take.

“Creator grant us luck,” Dimitri said as Nic led the way to Erebus.

 

 ~~~

 

Nic immediately brought her at’latl up, preparing to strike down the Jaffa guards. She lowered it just as quickly when she saw the Jaffa as captives and four surprised Tau’ri with their mouths hanging open.

“Looks like we are not the first to arrive here,” Nic said to Dimitri as he stepped up beside her. “Take the others and find the camp.” Dimitri nodded his head and turned to find the scout.

“Where the hell did you guys come from?” one of the Tau’ri asked, recovering from the shock of 12 people suddenly appearing out of nowhere and raising his weapon. “Who are you?”

“We have a common enemy,” Nic said. “We’re only here for our people, although I feel you are here for the same reason.” As she spoke, she touched his mind, seeing they were here at the behest of an ally. Nic inclined her head before turning to follow her people towards the camp.

 

~~~

 

The two Stargate teams and the Marines they’d brought along to Erebus looked over the camp below them. O’Neill immediately noticed that there were more Jaffa guards than they had anticipated. He glanced up and saw a Ha’tak under construction, levitated by some sort of anti-gravity platform.

“Penhall,” O’Neill said and the SG-3 team member joined him. “Trade. Gimme that thing.” The two traded weapons, O’Neill taking the sniper rifle and handing him the FN P90 he’d been carrying. Penhall moved back to where he had been. As he positioned the weapon, Carter searched the camp with binoculars for their intended quarry, the reason for their mission.

“There’s no sign of Bra’tac,” she said. “Wait a minute. I’ve got Rya’c.” Teal’c glanced over at her at the mention of his son, struggling to keep the father side of him from wanting to immediately act.

“If we eliminate that guard position,” the former First Prime said. “We can create a blind spot.” O’Neill aimed, looking through the scope, seeing the guard that Teal’c spoke of, but stopped. “Infiltration is the best option, O’Neill.” O’Neill said nothing at first, weighing his options and calculating how much daylight they had left.

“Alright,” he finally said. “It’ll be dark in an hour. Everyone get comfortable.”

_O’Neill, this is Roberts. Come in, please._

“This is O’Neill.”

_Uh, we just had about twelve people appear out of thin air and head in your direction._

“Come again? I think I’m hearing things. Did you just say appeared out of thin air?” Both Teal’c and Raknor, another Jaffa that Teal’c had requested the aid of, looked over at O’Neill, recognizing the description.

_Yes, sir. I believe them to be friendlies. Their leader said they were here for their people._

“You actually talked to them?”

_Briefly._

“Alright, thanks, Roberts.”

“Carter, are there people in there who do not have Jaffa symbols?” Raknor asked. Carter looked through the binoculars.

“Actually yes. I thought only Jaffa worked these mines.”

“Ba’al raided for slaves apparently. I can probably guarantee that Anastase have just arrived.”

“What the hell is an Anastase?” O’Neill asked.

“Jaffa rivals,” Teal’c explained. “Our peoples have been enemies for centuries. The only reason they would come to Erebus would be to claim their own back.”

“Well, hopefully, they don’t cause a problem.”

 

~~~

 

As night fell, Carter, Teal’c, and Raknor crept down towards the camp, O’Neill covering them. They had all agreed not to give away their position. Carter took out one of the guards, giving Teal’c and Raknor the blind spot they needed.

 

Across the camp, the Anastase were likewise overlooking the camp, a scout having infiltrated the camp in a form the Jaffa guards wouldn’t notice, looking for his fellow Anastase. Nic noticed a couple of men in Jaffa armor creeping into camp before entering one of the tents.

_“Everyone is alive,”_ the scout reported, connecting to Nic’s mind. _“There are too many witnesses in here, and I wouldn’t put it past some of these Jaffa to tell the guards what’s going on.”_ As the scout spoke, one of the Jaffa prisoners ran to the man she had pegged as the leader.

_“You may be right. Return to us.”_ The commander and several guards entered the tent which the two men had crept into only moments before. Several minutes later, they emerged with the two infiltrators in tow and headed towards another tent. The scout returned as the sounds of a whip cracking filled the air.

“Apparently, they weren’t actually guards,” Dimitri observed.

“Come to that conclusion on your own, did you?” Nic asked, sarcasm coloring her voice.

 

~~~

 

Roberts pulled his hat lower over his face, sitting against a tree, his P90 across his lap. O’Neill had radioed and told him that Teal’c and Raknor were infiltrating the camp after dark. He sighed, considering taking a nap while he waited for SGC to open the Stargate so he could update General Hammond. He heard the familiar sound of the Stargate dialing in. He pushed his hat back up as he looked over towards the Stargate, the ring around it rotating and the chevrons lighting up. Roberts stood and headed towards the gate as the unstable vortex shot outwards and the force shield appeared. One of the men joined him. Before a single word could pass his lips, a horse and rider shot out from the Stargate, completely passing through the shield and galloping past them, the two Marines diving out of the way. Roberts grabbed his radio.

“O’Neill!”

_Good God! You don’t have to yell! What?_

“Someone just came through the Stargate.”

_What?_

“A horse and rider just came through the Stargate. Through the shield.”

_Well, we’ve got bigger problems. Teal’c and Raknor were just caught in the camp. Now we’re going to have to find another way to rescue them._

“Yes, sir.” Roberts looked up at the still open Stargate. “How the hell did they get past the shield?” He then remembered that he was supposed to be updating the general. “General Hammond, this is Roberts. I'm going to assume you heard all that?”

 

~~~

 

The next morning, Nic noticed a patrol heading towards the Stargate. Dimitri broke away and took a handful of the Anastase with him. By the time they caught up with the patrol, they were all dead, each with a black arrow through his neck. Dimitri crouched next to one of the bodies, pulling the arrow from his lifeless body.

“I’m not familiar with this make,” Dimitri said as he examined it. “There’s someone other than the Tau’ri here.”

“We should tell Nic,” one of the men said.

“Agreed.” They returned to the others, and Dimitri reported the find to Nic.

“You are sure it’s not one of the Tau’ri?”

“I’m pretty certain.”

 

~~~

 

Over in the Tau’ri camp, O’Neill listened to Carter’s report. He sighed, looking over the camp.

“Time for Plan B,” he said.

“We have a Plan B?” Carter asked.

“No... but it’s time for one.”

“We’ve already established that there are too many guards to take out the whole camp with our present numbers.”

“What about the friendlies Roberts mentioned?” Reynolds asked.

“We don’t even know where they are.”

“Then we need a distraction,” Daniel suggested.

“Grenades?” Carter asked.

“Think bigger,” O’Neill said.

“Claymores.”

O’Neill looked up, catching sight of the Ha’tak.“Much bigger.”

Carter followed his gaze before nodding and turning to Daniel, jerking her head, and the two of them left the group.

 

~~~

 

Nic closed her eyes, letting the thoughts of the people in the camp fill her mind. Instead of the despair she expected, there was hope, with thoughts of rebellion in many minds.

“We may soon have our chance,” Nic said. “There is rebellion on their minds.”

“I hear that as well,” Dimitri said, “but they are still afraid.” Nic watched as the Commander followed one of the guards who was pushing a teenage boy towards an empty area where several corpses were lying about.

The commander turned towards the camp. “If you do not work,” he cried, his voice carrying across the camp. “Then you will die. This one does not know where his workstation is.” He turned and raised his ma’tok at the boy, who stood defiantly. Another man stumbled forward. Nic couldn’t hear what was being said, but the two traded places. The commander spoke to him for a moment before he raised his ma’tok at him. A horn sounded and everyone’s attention went to the Ha’tak as it began to fall from the sky. The commander shouted a command, and several guards started running in the direction of the Ha’tak. Sudden explosions went off as they ran towards it.

“Bring them down!” someone shouted.

“Now!” Nic broke cover and aimed her at’latl at the nearest guard, the other Anastase following her. Nic pushed a button on the side of the at’latl and a blade extended from the lethal end. Shots rang out while arrows flew at the guards. The camp was in utter chaos, the prisoners rising up and fighting against their captors. Nic shot a Jaffa in the back who had been aiming at another target himself. The intended victim turned, and Nic saw that his mark had been burned away, something she'd never seen. She wondered what he had done to deserve that. He nodded his thanks at her before turning back to the battle. The Jaffa who had traded places with the boy was now locked in combat with the commander, the two wrestling on the ground. The Jaffa, who judging by his gold mark had been a First Prime at one time, had the commander in a headlock. With one quick move, he snapped his neck. Nic shoved the bladed end of her at’latl into the stomach of the charging Jaffa guard before spinning around to find herself in the crosshairs of a ma’tok. The guard never fired, as he now had a black arrow protruding from his throat. Several of the Jaffa had taken ma’toks from fallen guards and were now fighting back.

“Nic!” Dimitri cried, doubling back to her position.

“Did you find all our people?” she asked.

“Everyone is accounted for.”

“Get them back to the Stargate, and get them home!”

“What of you?”

“I'm going to help the Tau’ri beat back Ba’al’s Jaffa.”

“You should leave with us. The Jaffa can hold their own.”

“Dimitri,” Nic’s tone told him she was not to be questioned. “I will return after I've helped the Tau’ri.”

“As you say.”

 

~~~

 

The Tau'ri liberated the camp, and the former Jaffa prisoners were all eager to join a rebellion against their Goa’uld overlords. This had been the first time Nic had heard of the Jaffa Rebellion, and it made her curious. She was not intrigued enough to follow them to the planet they were based on, however. Unable to follow the link back to Tsalagi, Nic decided to return with the Tau’ri to Earth. She'd heard of their nonstop fight against the Goa’uld, matching the Anastase’s centuries-old fight. Four of the Jaffa returned with the Tau’ri, Nic gleaning their names with her telepathic abilities.

The one called O’Neill turned to her as the Stargate opened. “You sure you want to come with us?” he asked.

“I would like to help in your fight against the Goa’uld. I've heard that the Tau’ri are as valiant as my people in the fight against them.”

O’Neill shrugged. “Okay. Let's go home.” He stepped through the gate, Nic and the others following.

Behind them, the mysterious horse and rider galloped towards the still open gate, leaping through just seconds before it closed.

 

~~~

 

Once through the gate, Nic saw several more Tau’ri waiting. The older Jaffa, Bra’tac, was seated on a bed with wheels, one of the Tau’ri tending to his wounds. The boy, Rya’c, and the Jaffa with the burned off mark, Raknor, supported the third Jaffa, Teal’c, between them. A man that Nic pegged as the Tau’ri’s leader approached them.

“Welcome back, SG-1,” he greeted.

“Camp has been liberated, sir,” O’Neill reported. “All the prisoners relocated to the Alpha Site.”

“They are anxious to join the rebellion,” Raknor added.

“Then my mission was a success?” Bra’tac asked. Teal’c inclined his head. Bra’tac looked over at the Tau’ri leader. “Hammond of Texas, I find myself once more in your debt.”

“I think it’s Dr. Jackson you owe on this one.” Jackson looked uncomfortable.

“Indeed,” Teal’c agreed. Jackson looked over at him and he inclined his head. Jackson inclined his own head.

Hammond turned his attention to the newcomer, who had been waiting patiently, leaning on her at’latl. “May I ask who you are?”

Nic stepped forward. “Nic Waters of Tsalagi.” She held out her hand. “I’ve come to lend whatever aid I can to your fight against the Goa’uld.” Hammond went to shake her hand only to have her grasp his forearm.

“We appreciate any help we can get,” he responded.

“I am sure. And I do not have a mark because I am not Jaffa.” Hammond blinked, surprised, and Nic realized she’d answered his unspoken question about her race out loud. Everyone else looked confused.

“Did you just read my mind?”

“I apologize, but I could not let you assume I was Jaffa.”

Hammond motioned for Nic to follow him. “Let’s have a talk.”


	4. AUTHORS' NOTE

We would like to apologize for the lack of updates on Courage. Our editor and beta reader recently injured her hand and had to have surgery on it. Once she recovers and is able to edit for us again, we will have updates for you once more. We have not abandoned this fic by any means. Life has just thrown a monkey wrench at us.

Thank you for understanding.

Kiera and Ice Queen


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